Unscripted
by Celaaadarling
Summary: These were complicated people in a complicated time. The aftermath of Korra's world-changing decision.
1. Chapter 1

**Avatar: The Legend of Korra: Daisies**

**Disclaimer: I don't own this series, I never will, I would never infringe on the copyright, go Nickelodeon! (Please don't sue me, I'm already in deeeeeeebt)**

**Capítulo Un: Anticipation**

"We've been here for too long." Mako said, half-heartedly meditating next to Jinora.

"We cannot leave the city without Kai," Tenzin answered, not breaking his concentration. "He is our responsibility. You know this, Mako."

Ever since Kai's disappearance, and Bolin's increasing paranoia since said departure, Tenzin had taken to even more meditation, but this time, he was not alone. Jinora was at his right hand, as always, but he was now flanked on his left by his brother, Bumi, a newcomer to their father's old habits. Even Asami joined them from time to time. Mako had found meditating to be strangely calming, after giving his grandmother his father's scarf- the only comfort he'd allowed himself to have throughout his troubling childhood.

But Bolin could not be put to rest by rhythmic breathing and _om_s. His constant pacing was beginning to be evident on the wooden floors of their temporary home in Ba Sing Seh- which was quickly looking to become permanent.

"We are NOT leaving my little brother!" Bolin wailed hysterically. "He's lost! He could be cold, hungry, sick,-"

"Or be held for ransom as we speak." The group of benders- and non bender- said in unison.

"Achieving mental clarity," Tenzin replied, "will do us- and Kai- more good, and give us a better chance of locating the boy instead of making indents on wooden floors that we are financially responsible for."

And with a gentle rush of air provided by the newest airbender, Bolin found himself sitting on his rear, in a V-formation, with Tenzin at the front. The spot opposite him was regularly occupied by Korra, but had remained vacant for several days.

The Avatar had taken to solitary meditation.

But, not at the present moment.

The polybender walked into the room with the grace and litheness of an air nomad, but commanded it like a true earthbender speaking to rock.

"We've all had those thoughts, Bolin. And maybe just a little worse." Korra said, effectively ending the impromptu meditation session. "But we can't afford to act on paranoia."

As one, the newly assembled Team Avatar rose from the ground, and looked expectantly at Korra.

"Sometimes I paid attention to the White Lotus' history lessons. Once in a solstice." She joked, trying to lessen the tension amongst her friends. But her attention was directed at Tenzin and Bumi now. "The first time your dad he went to the Fire Nation, he snuck in." She paused, as if waiting for confirmation, which she received in two nods. "He faked as a student, and went to school with other kids from the Fire Nation. And while he was there, he found out that the education system was changing history. Making it so the Fire Nation's actions would be put in a good light, justifying the War to a new generation. These kids had no option but to believe what they were being told-"

"Similar to my father's first visit to Ba Sing Seh!" exclaimed Tenzin, catching on to Korra's train of thought. "The Earth Kingdom government was being thwarted from the inside out, the citizens were constantly under watch by some, some group- why, I can't put my finger on the name, but they were most definitely twisting the truth, changing the reality of the war as the citizens knew it, all to contain Appa, my father's sky bison, in custody. And not only that, but they also brainwashed citizens, in order to wipe their tracks."

"The Dai Li." Korra chimed. "It was the Dai Li. And even though Aang helped the Earth King cleanse the government after the war's end, I have no doubt that there were some moles, and they're back withholding secrets, and possibly people, from the Queen."

Sharing a glance, Bolin and Mako allowed the name to register for a moment, before asking different versions of the same question.

"Green cloaks?"

"Circular green thing in the middle?"

"Green feather?" They asked in unison, regarding the elusive guard's appearance.

"From what I can gather about my prior visits to Ba Sing Se, that sounds about right," Tenzin answered cautiously. "Although I've yet to see any in the upper ring of the city."

"Well, we saw them up close and personal," Mako huffed. "Remember how we spent five days in the lower ring? They wouldn't let us on board the train to bring us back. Honestly Asami, if you hadn't gone on that shopping spree, I don't think we would have ever made it back."

Little by little, the estranged group of talented teenagers was making coming together. Asami smiled through tight lips, but made no attempt at eye contact with the firebender.

"So how do we prove that these Daisies are holding the kid?" asked Bumi.

"Well, I actually haven't gotten that far," said Korra sheepishly. "I was gonna call it an Avatar hunch. Look, either the Queen is aware of the kidnappings of her newly gifted citizens- because let's face it, there's no possible way there are no air benders in a city this big- or they're being held under her nose, and she's just as much as a puppet figure as her dad." Having recently met the Queen, Korra was not sure which was true. "Regardless, we are getting close to her to find out."

"Korra."Asami's sweet voice said hesitantly. "I'm all for finding Kai, and kicking some corrupt guard butt if we have to; but what if he ran away, just to run away? What if he doesn't want to be found? He's smart enough to fool us all once, he can make it on his own here." A look into Asami's green eyes showed genuine concern for her dear friend, and those around her. "Jeopardizing your already strained relationship with the Earth Queen just to see if he's _maybe _being held hostage-which is a long shot, and you know it- is crazy. You're a political figure, you have to think of the consequences breaking into a foreign monarch's home to find a runaway would have."

"The consequences of my actions are what gave that runaway the power _to_ run away so smoothly. We're doing this, Asami, at least to make sure we're not repeating Aang's experience in Ba Sing Se." Korra said sternly to her friend. "I need to know if you're in."

"Of course, Korra." The entrepreneur said. "Of course."

"How do we do that?" demanded Bolin, anxious for a game plan.

"With the art of Diplomacy. We need to spend more time in the palace," Tenzin answered, running through a million possible scenarios in his head. "I'll contact the former Earth Kingdom Councilman, and pull some strings to get us onto the social scene of the Upper Ring."

"YES! Team Avatar's got a new mission! Operation: Save-Kai-from-unknown-bad-guys-that-we-aren't-sure-have-him…. I'll work on that." Bolin finished lamely.

* * *

Author's note:  
The title is a working one, and subject to change.

I have a certain idea in my head of where I want this story to go, and it's pretty solid. Also, I plan to make this a romance. Guess between whooooo.

I have no idea how fanfiction works as far as publishing things. I've been having a hard time as of late.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, Avatar the Legend of Korra does not belong to me.  
(But if it did I wouldn't have screwed up the airing of it-burn, boys!  
I joke, don't sue me. But seriously. You broke my heart.)**

_See author's note at the end._

* * *

Fists

The two men appeared out of nowhere in the alley, obliterating the dustdevils made in their wake, and walked on to the narrow, moonlit cobblestone street.

"Did anyone follow you?" asked the taller of the two.

"Of course _not. _I happen to be an _expert _in covert operations, I think I can lose any tails that-"

A small gush of wind from the tallest air bender hushed the other man, as the two approached a small cottage decorated in Earth Kingdom finesse. Their cloaks graced the floor, removing any trace of their footprints in the finely manicured earth.

As they reached the gates, Tenzin rapped the metal lightly with quick bursts of air, and the wrought-iron gates fell to the floor, and the two airbenders passed through. Neither of them broke step; nor did they continue their banter. A figure emerged from the darkness, only his face illuminated by the light of the moon. For a second the three men stood quite still, fists raised two to one, until the former broke the silence with a laugh.

"It's good to see you again, old friend." Tenzin said, extending his forearm to the man cloaked in green robes.

"And you, as well. I hope all's well with Pema and the children." The former councilman responded warmly.

"Oh, don't mind me, Sayeed, it's not like I just happened to airbend on my own, too." The shorter of the two guests said.

"Bumi, I saw you from a mile away." the councilman chuckled. "I _know_ you can airbend now. But it's great to see you, too. Please, come in, quickly."

Gravel cracked beneath their feet as they followed the path that led to the cottage- or really, manor, as it could finally be seen properly. Beams of light could be seen from within the home, but as soon as the men reached the front door, the lights vanished.

The grand foyer was decorated in momentos from a life of academia, with several degrees from the University of Ba Sing Se held on the wall, as well as multiple life-long achievement awards. Two gigantic pillars guided the benders into an even larger drawing room, where the councilman had several documents in front of his desk. He guided them to a small table surrounded by three chairs, and the men sat. A strange, circular object revolved above them, obscured by the lights focused solely on the table holding a kettle and teacups.A few cups of tea and comments at Bumi's expense later, Tenzin began his foray.

"Whatever the next event at the palace is, we'd like to attend. And by we, I mean, The Avatar, her friends, and ourselves." The air nomad said. "I have been looking forward to participate in something other than Republic City politics for a while."

Sayeed glanced at the two brothers, and slowly sipped from his cup. "My sister will be holding an engagement party for her daughter and a member of the Fire Nation's Royal family in a fortnight, I'll see what I can arrange." He paused, stirring the tea. "This is purely a social gathering, correct? Most of the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom gentry will be there."

"Of course!" said Bumi, who seemed determined to contribute in the discussion in some positive way. "I haven't seen Iroh in years. I can't miss his engagement party. Do you know if they'll have cactus juice?"

"No. I've not the slightest idea." Sayeed answered.

Tenzin moved to steer the conversation back on point. "Sayeed, what _do _you know about air-" but as he opened his mouth, the doors to his study burst open and the strange orb revolving above them jumped to the ground, causing three cloaks to become stained with herbal tea, and six hands to be strapped to chairs by steel-like earthen fists.

Three men dressed in the very getup that Mako and Bolin had described a few days before approached them, and a high, clear voice addressed them.

"Master Tenzin, Count Sayeed, Commander Bumi-"

"EX-Commander!" Bumi exclaimed.

The voice, coming from one of the three Dai Li agents in front of them, or the single agent behind them, commanded the room, echoing from the walls. "Her Majesty the Earth Queen is susceptible to your actions, and though you are welcome to attend her daughter's engagement party, know that any action by any members of your party that raises alarm will result in your arrest and trial by jury-the Earth Queen herself."

"On what charges? We're not her subjects! She can't charge us with suspicious acts," Bumi argued vehemently, trying to free himself from the fists holding him down. "We have diplomatic immunity-"

"Then your diplomatic immunity had been revoked as of now," The voice continued as another fist wrapped itself around Bumi's face, effectively shutting him up. "Any suspicious activity, and you will be charged with treason or conspiracy against the crown, and treated as protocol dictates." None of the Dai Li agents opened their mouths, and yet the voice could be heard clearly, as if it really _were_ in the same room. "This gathering is your first offense, the next will be a felony."

The fists tying the men to their seats dissolved into dust, and the darkness that had quickly consumed the drawing room vanished, leaving the whistle of the tea kettle and three startled pairs of eyes.

* * *

Korra was terrified to open her eyes. She knew what lay before her, but she wanted to keep her ignorant bliss as long as possible. Any second now, she would be face to face with one of her biggest fears, and she wasn't entirely sure how to handle it. Sitting in Asami's makeshift vanity set, Korra sighed, she knew she was trapped. Asami was carefully pinning hairs to her head on her left side, where a giant four clawed bathtub was once running with water to provide for a luscious bath that actually scrubbed Korra down to a practically new, soft epidermis. Jinora stood to her right, observing and learning from Asami, and occasionally holding Korra's hand when a hairbrush pulled too hard.

"I figured she'd be better off with neutral colors, and also I didn't want to lose my head." Asami confessed to Jinora as they examined Korra.

"Anything else would clash with the dress. Good call on your part." Jinora commented, thinking of the dress they had spent hours searching for, that was waiting in another room.

The Avatar herself was in a stupor. Her eyelashes, already naturally long, were elongated mascara, cocooning her blue eyes in an indescribable way. Her naturally tanned skin _glowed, _and even her hair looked wonderful, pinned in a conveniently high twist, still leaving room for her bangs_._

"Asami." Korra panned.

"Is it too much? We can take off the lip shine, I just thought you might like to-" Asami rambled.

"It's perfect. If I could fight mercenaries and totalitarians without sweating all of this off I totally would." Korra replied, oddly happy. "Thanks."

The airbender and entrepreuner were shocked into silence, and guided the Avatar into her dressing gown in the dressing room next door. A sleek, periwinkle blue gown that was several shades lighter than Korra's eyes had a white sash over the hem, aimed to signify the fur in a Water Bender's regular and ceremonial winterwear. The thin material hugged Korra's muscular curves, elongated her neck with its square cut, and made her seem even taller than she was.

"I knew it was a good idea to invest Sato Enterprises into the fashion world." Asami said, finding her voice. "When this is all over, you're going to be my new spokesgirl, Korra."

"Why would I when you can just model for your own company? Without paying a dime for a model, either," her polybending friend replied, trying to evade any fashion commitments other than her comfy boots and blue pants ordeal. And Asami looked every bit the model. Leaning towards a trend popular in the fire nation, she had a dress tailored at an empire waist and let loose in waves past her legs, all in a dark red, her favorite color.

The two women had come a long way: all the petty trivial issues between themselves and a boy who called himself a man had caused unnecessary distance between the two, who found in the other a comfort that only a sister could offer. Unlike the former fire ferret brothers, both these women _chose_ to remain in contact, to spend their free time together, and to help each other grow.

Jinora, however, had a sister and two brothers, and had no problem interrupting them. "Just remember, you're going to see how many drunk officials can brag about capturing airbenders." She told them sternly, walking to space in the lounge connecting all of the young women's rooms, full of chairs and a coffee table. Jinora was like Korra in that way, she knew what she wanted, and she went for it. And she wanted Kai safe.

A gentle knock on the door showed Mako, Bolin, and Tenzin standing opposite, waiting for the two ladies to finish getting ready.

"It's about time! I probably could have dug a hole through the entire Earth Kingdom Palace by the time you all finished your-" but Bolin couldn't have finished his sentence if he wanted to. "You- that- dress- blue- Asami- fire- I-"

Mako was just as surprised too, by both of his stunningly gorgeous ex-girlfriends, who now were both completely out of his reach. Tenzin coughed, warning the young men that he considered one of those girls like a daughter to him, and he would not hesitate to act like an overprotective father.

Bolin's stammering somehow turned into compliments for each of his girl friends- his friends that are girls, girls that he just happens to be friends with. Mako managed small praise to both of them, and pulled Bolin by the collar to stand tall. Tenzin managed to regain the attention in the room, and motioned for every person to follow to the Satomobiles that would be transporting them to the Royal Palace. Walking, he gave a brief recap of what had happened with the Count, and reiterated to every single young adult to be _extremely _tactful in what they did and who they spoke to.

The car ride was brief and quiet. Jinora and Mako had stayed behind, since they had no "famous idiosyncrasy" to allow for a pass to the "biggest engagement party in the Earth Kingdom." Avatar Korra, Mover-Star Bolin, and Asami Sato of Sato Enterprises were to be accompanied by the Former Commander of the United Forces Bumi, and his brother, the world's only Airbending Master, and former Councilman, Tenzin, all stuffed into a tiny Satomobile that had no goals of reaching 20 ostrich-horse power.

"Mako will be waiting outside the palace gates with Naga in case anything goes wrong, and Jinora will be circling the perimeter with Oogi," Tenzin said, before the group exited the small vehicle. "But understand this: if we are discovered trying to break into palace grounds where we are not meant to be, if we are caught doing anything suspicious, if we fail to find where the airbenders are, it will be as enemies of state."

* * *

_This story is officially an Alternate Universe. From what I've seen in Legend of Korra, I-sadly- have no expectations of the character arch that I hope to see emerge, i.e. General Iroh and Korra. Even still, they belong together in my head, and that's all I need. It's an Alternate Universe, which means that characters who belong together will be together, in any kind of script. An AU allows a character to say to their partner, I __**will**__ find you. Every me loves every you.  
__On a separate note, I'd love to hear your input. __And with that, I leave you. God bless you all! Know that General Iroh's time is coming, and that good things come to those that wait._

_Obviamente esta historia ya no es nada como la del show. Pero para mi, la historia del General Iroh y Korra debe ser contada, aun si nunca será animada. En un Universo Alternativo, los personajes pertenecen juntos, pase lo que pase, en cualquier manera que estén puestos juntos. Es decir del uno al otro, te __**encontrare**__, de una manera o otra. Cada versión de mi ama cada versión de ti.  
Bueno, espero oir de ustedes, y sus opiniones, tambien. __Nos leeremos pronto! Que Dios las bendiga! La hora del General Iroh es por venir, ya saben que la paciencia es la madre de la ciencia. (Nunca he escuchado ese dicho, y como vivo en Estados Unidos, mi español es un poco flojo)_


	3. Chapter 3

Avatar Korra has had her fair share of press conferences. She had been scrutinized and dissected by many journalists, followed and badgered by several, but she had never dealt with journalists holding cameras behind a green carpet before. She had never bothered to attend the many social events that Republic City's elite offered her when she was still in good standing, back when she had more than sixteen percent approval rate. So she was unprepared, to say the least, when more than a dozen cameras flashed in her face, momentarily blinding her the second she stepped out of the Satomobile carrying part of Team Avatar, and her two "chaperones".

"I can't believe it, but I actually kind of missed being Nuntuk!" Bolin sang, offering Korra a hand. The Mover-star had his own background in the public eye, and events like this brought back a gleam in his own eyes.

To Korra's left, Asami Sato gracefully walked ahead, turning all of the cameras' attentions on her and her fantastic looks. "Don't answer any questions, and don't make extravagant facial expressions." The businesswoman advised. "Some of these photographers sell to the _United Enquirer."_

Slowly, the Avatar trekked forward in the heels that she did not have the time to break in, and prayed for a swift end to this night of recon and regalities. Tenzin and Bumi marched in front of the young adults, and much to their chagrin, met up with Sayeed, the Count and former Earth Kingdom councilman, and younger brother of the Earth Queen. Sayeed's earlier accidental setup of Avatar Aang's sons had not gone well with them, but after explaining his sister's tyrannical control over every citizen, Tenzin and Bumi had decided to accept Sayeed's offer to help them extract as much information about hidden Earth Kingdom air benders as possible.

"Several of the Queen's military officials have been invited tonight," Sayeed said through a perfect smile that was undetectably moving. "Avatar Korra, this is your perfect chance to chat, but make sure your questions are casually implied. This is an engagement party, after all. They're loyal to my sister out of fear, anything too pushy and they'll crawl back to the woman who gave them their power."

As one, the group walked through the doors of the palace gates and into a hall garnished with pillars and notable guests, whom Zayeed continued to introduce as they walked across the floor. The ceiling walls were draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, so as to imply the unity of the two nations, and musicians were situated on an upper level, tuning their instruments for the long dance that was to come. Korra was only vaguely paying attention, offering a polite smile every few seconds in Zayeed's direction. She had no interest in befriending Earth Kingdom nobles and socialites, and much less being entertainment for them.

As quickly as they arrived, the group split, and Korra was left on her own to socialize with Ba Sing Se's elite. She spotted Asami trying to drag Bolin away from a buffet table full of gourmet Earth Kingdom treats, and even Korra had to admit she was tempted to indulge in some snacking time. After ending several awkward conversations with citizens who were still too sober to forget anything, Korra turned around as gracefully as she could in those heels, and began to make a beeline on the sidelines of the dance floor towards the food.

"Everyone is watching you," a voice said behind Korra, causing her to turn around wildly to stare straight into a pair of golden eyes.

"General Iroh," Korra exclaimed, shocked and oddly nervous. "What are you doing here? Well, obviously you'd be here, it's your party, after all."

The General gave her an incredulous look that seemed to convey the same nerves she had in his own face. "My party? I'm a guest here, just as much as you are."

For reasons Korra could not explain, she felt relieved. And very confused. Bumi had told her it was General Iroh who was to be engaged to the Earth Kingdom Princess; and it was all Korra could do to remind herself that it did not matter who was getting engaged at the moment- she needed information on the location of Ba Sing Se's air benders. The music was playing softly, a buzz in the background, but was slowly gaining momentum.

"But, Bumi mentioned that the Earth Princess was engaged to a member of the Royal Family-"

"So I jumped the gun." The aforementioned boomed, interrupting the Avatar and the Fire Prince, plate full of gourmet treats in tow. "Big deal. I can barely keep track of how many kids Tenzin has running around, there's no way I ought to know how many grandkiddos my Uncle Zuko has."

"Kuzon, my half-cousin, is engaged to the Earth Princess, not me. His grandmother is my grandfather's half-sister, she was given the title of Duchess after my grandfather became Fire Lord." Iroh offered, explaining some of the family politics to Korra, in order to avoid more confusion. "And I don't answer to General, anymore. At least not of the Armed Forces."

"Why would you quit?" Korra exclaimed, baffled and completely over her self-imposed nervousness of a few seconds ago. "You must have been the youngest General in history. They need you. I understand that President Raiko is a complete buffoon, but that-"

"-Is the exact reason why I handed in my resignation, Avatar Korra. I will not be corralled into staying in a harbor while I am needed elsewhere, just because a man who has no military experience expects me to." Iroh found the Avatar's opinion to be refreshing and honest, but he did not explain himself to anyone. "You needed my help, and I failed. It won't happen again."

Shocked into silence, both Korra and Bumi stared at the Prince of the Fire Nation, both fully understanding his altruism. "It won't happen again because you won't have a ship to command again, Gen- I mean, Prince Iroh." Korra began after a moment's pause. Even though she empathized with his actions, she could not condone them. "You've locked yourself out, and now, if I ever need your help again, I won't get it."

In Bumi's mouth hung a lone noodle, but he quickly slurped it up as he tried to calm down the Avatar, and the Fire Prince, apparently. "I'm sure Prince Iroh here had a retribution plan, Korra." A lone violin's final note hung in the air, signaling the end of the first song of the night.

"As a matter of fact I do. I've been putting the Fire Nation army together again, my mother fears all the changes that have occurred in the Spirit World will have deep consequences-" Iroh continued, slighted by Korra's brash insinuation that he did not consider the repercussions of his actions, or worse, did not care.

"I thought that _the Fire Lord has always trusted the Avatar,_ isn't that what you told me two years ago, when _you _helped _me_ defeat Amon, _and_ when you tried to help me end the civil war between my tribes? Trust me when I say that leaving the portals open was the right choice" Korra had lost her appetite, and quite frankly, her motive to locate the Air benders for this one night. She couldn't control the press, but she was going to put this man in his place, Royalty or not.

Bumi continued to put more food in his mouth, in lieu of putting his foot in it. Glancing around for someone he could talk to in order to get away from the duo of powerful benders in front of him, he made eye contact with a man dressed in a gray suit, whom he found less likable than President Raiko. Steeling himself, he jumped back into the conversation, providing a cover that the two military men knew well.

"I'm going to get some Cactus Juice, I really need to relax." He said, prodding the Fire Prince to look at the man walking closer to them, as well. "Korra, can I get you any? I know Iroh steers clear of it, and after Kyoshi Island, he definitely should." Another nod to the middle of the dance floor, and he knew Iroh received his message, loud and clear.

Prince Iroh stared straight into the Avatar's blue eyes, and asked her to dance to the waltz that a cello had just begun.

"You're the last person I want to dance with, _Prince Iroh_," Korra cried, even more annoyed and confused.

"Fine," Bumi said, "then let me tell you about the time he drank Cactus Juice and got completely-"

"I insist," Prince Iroh said, and grabbed her forearm firmly, leading her to the dance floor. The sharp tingles of electricity running over her arm from where his fingers gripped and straight to her stomach were the only thing that kept Korra from pushing his arm off, and she followed only to avoid a scene, though still upset.

Prince Iroh and Avatar Korra stood in the middle of the dance floor, both at an impasse. The Prince was wearing proper Fire Nation regalia, no longer the United Forces uniform he once adorned. A man hardened by years on the field, he stood tall with broad shoulders and a strong physique, an equal in almost every way to the incarnation of his great-great-great grandfather that stood before him. After releasing her arm, he offered his hand, but she did not accept.

"My family will _always_ support you, Avatar Korra. Our change in military tactics is because of Raiko's doing, or really, not-doing, not your own." He said quietly into her ear, after she finally took his hand. "Now I'm going to twirl you in a circle, and I recommend you smile, because like I said earlier, every person in this room is watching you."

Korra let herself fall into step with the Prince, and carefully shifted her feet so as to not fall on the long blue gown that she had somehow forgotten she was wearing. Her demeanor was definitely calmer, now that the Prince of the Fire Nation's hands were on her upper back, and their hands were intertwined.

"So I _can_ count on you, then? In matters of emergencies?" At his slight nod, Korra got back on her mission. "Then can you tell me if you've heard of any cases involving air benders in the Fire Nation?"

Korra's hand on his shoulder felt his body stiffen for a moment, and his hand began to squeeze hers too tightly. "Shiro Shinobi is trying to read your lips." Prince Iroh said silently, glancing down at them, and quickly looked away as he avoided her question. "After Pro-Bending died down in Republic City, he became a radio personality who 'researches social interaction between influential individuals,' but really he's just a gossip columnist who refuses to call himself one."

Prince Iroh's hand grasped the very thin garment that covered Korra's muscular back, causing goose bumps to go up and down her back, before she could phrase her next question. Staring into a sea of molten gold, Korra had to force herself to not concentrate on the way he said lips, and to not look at his own when he talked. Eye contact was better, she told herself, because there was no way she wanted to initiate lip contact with another fire bender after Mako, _especially_ while dancing.

"Economic and technological problems are in Raiko's pile of duties, I only cater to life-saving crises. Not career options." Korra said. She was impressed by how gallant he was acting towards her, especially after she began to chew him out in front of all the guests in attendance of the engagement party. "I remember your cousin now," she talked, hoping to be as tactful as he was in eliciting a response about air benders. "Katara mentioned that he came with your grandfather to the South Pole once, and that he was the first outsider whom Naga took a liking to."

"I'm surprised he's engaged, to be honest." She continued, hesitantly. Korra knew she wasn't the most tactful person verbally, but she had always felt at ease with the Crown Prince, even if they disagreed. "I always thought that he was well, you know, -"

Prince Iroh laughed wholeheartedly before she could finish her comment. The entire dance floor ceased to move, and the music stopped. A chuckle had never been heard out of the Fire Prince's mouth in public, and there he was, dancing with the most controversial young woman in the world, laughing and smiling.

"You're not on your own there," he said, still smiling, completely unaware of the change in atmosphere he caused. "My radar had been up since we were children. But I'm happy for him. He's not a fire bender, and he truly loves her. Truth be told, my mother is not fond of having familial ties to the earth kingdom, but she wants her nephew happy. One more spin."

As Korra twirled another three hundred and sixty degrees to a stop, she felt everything tilt at an odd angle, and gripped Prince Iroh's shoulder even harder to keep from falling. His hand tightened on her back, then slid down to her waist as he dipped her, and he answered her previous question. "There are several. My grandfather has taken it upon himself to meet with most of them, and we have decided to give them the option to either stay in the Fire Nation or to move to any of the air temples that once housed air nomads."

Korra couldn't help but smile, she told herself it was because there was at least one government that wasn't going completely haywire with air benders in their midst, but she could not deny it also due to the proximity of the unbelievably handsome and assertive prince in front of her.

"Do you remember when you saved me during the first wave of the aerial strikes over Republic City?" Prince Iroh asked her. "You didn't let me drown. Even if the music stops, I won't let you fall."

* * *

There were certainly moments when Asami missed simply being an heiress. When she didn't have to arrange business meetings and fundraisers, or attend parties that she simply did not want to go to. But this party was bigger than her. It was about the missing air benders, and although she knew the cause was noble, she was getting very tired of hearing the _word _ "noble" get tossed around every few seconds in front of her. Standing in the grand hall of the Earth Kingdom palace, it was all she could do to not walk away from the gathering of earth kingdom gentry. There wasn't a single member of military influence in attendance! What could have been a night of patrolling in the streets and recon of the palace from the outside had been wasted in this social gathering, she thought to herself.

"I don't care who your parents are. I'm not giving each of you brand new Satomobiles. Future Industries is my father's company, I run Sato Enterprises now." She said to the young noblemen surrounding her in a semi-circle that was closing in to two full radians.

Frantically, she searched for a familiar face, a bald head with an arrow, a brunette in a killer blue dress, or a brown-haired Mover-star. She'd even talk to Bumi willingly.

"What's the latest engine type in the new models?"

"Will there be a show before the release?"

Before Asami could half-heartedly answer the questions of the scrawny, entitled young men in front of her, Bolin broke through their formation quickly without effort.

"EAT THIS." He told her excitedly, blissfully unaware of the young men upset that he had stolen the attention of the beautiful engineer. Quickly stuffing acustard tart into her mouth, Bolin motioned for her to follow out of the way of the noblemen, who were beginning to murmur their upset, and disperse. It wasn't until Asami swallowed the tart that she realized both of Bolin's hands were holding smaller treats, and the tray holding the rest of his food was floating.

"Bolin, is it just me, or is your tray holding itself in midair?" She asked in a quiet manner, hoping to not attract stares if her question made her sound insane.

"Isn't it amazing? It's from the spirit world!" Bolin replied, completely at ease with the defiance of gravity in front of him. "It turns out spirits are dead useful everywhere but Republic City, they're the ones holding this tray. And catering this whole thing Look." He lifted the tray between them to reveal a blue manta ray-like spirit, with eyes looking straight up at them, unwavering, unquestioning.

Asami felt sick to her core at the sight of the poor spirit being forced to serve at this reception.

"You can hold your own plate, Bolin, don't force a spirit to do it for you." Appalled, she walked towards the reception where the trays were hovering, and began lifting the trays off the spirits. One by one, they began to float away, through windows and the main doors of the entryway, but Asami was nowhere near finished.

"C'mon," she said, pulling Bolin away from the food that had taken all his attention the whole night. "We need to find where these spirits are coming from, and why they're being forced to serve a bunch of over privileged earth kingdom citizens at a party." Whether there were any air bending conspiracies available to them, she couldn't worry about anymore, but she did know there was something wrong with how these spirits were being treated.

Reaching for Bolin's hand, Asami pulled him towards the doors that kept opening every time a tray passed through.

"If anyone asks, we just wanted to be alone."

"Whoa, Asami. Hold it right there." Bolin said, shocked at what she was implying with her hand and words. "You're my brother's ex-girlfriend. That you're coming on to me is just-"

"Follow the spirits!" shushed Asami. Rounding a corner, the two continued walk quietly through the throng of trays and spiritual entities, trying not to upset the auras that so actively defined a spirit's character. "Spirits _cannot_ be forced to work for humans, it's, it's inhumane!" She cried.

"Asami-" They were nearing the end of the hallway.

"Well obviously it's not humane, _they're _not human. But they still have rights!"

"Asami-" If they were not careful, Tenzin's warning would fall through and they would be incarcerated for trespassing Royal property.

"Just because you love any kind of food doesn't mean you can't question where it comes from, Bolin."

"They're coming from here." He pointed to a wall on their left side that Asami had completely overlooked in her rant. "But they don't have any trays, not anymore."

Assuming a classic earth bending position, Bolin pushed the wall open, and a paved opening, complete with stairwells and lighting from a ceiling that had no definite end became visible to both the earth bender and the entrepreneur.

* * *

_Author's Note: I'm writing for myself, I guess. When you go to a restaurant, you leave a tip. If a busker's music grabs your attention, you drop some cash in their case. And the reciprocal goes for fanfiction. In the form of reviews.  
_

_Rant-over. On a seperate note, if you do not speak another language, you **are missing out.** Some of the most talented writers in this fandom write in Spanish, and you have to, you MUST read their stories. **Kakatsushi**, is, I believe, the most prominent author in this whole fandom. She's fantastic, and you'll fall in love with her rhetoric and storytelling abilities._

_In this story, I want to embrace the political issues that Legend of Korra embodies in the third season. There's a lot of room for allegories about prejudice in the series, and her dealings with the press and President Raiko are sooooo juicy, it's a great way to talk about perception and incentives in government. And also a really sweet love story between two characters who will never be together but should be!_

In my opinion, the writers did too good of a job in The Last Airbender weaving the destinies of the Avatar and the Fire Lord to not let them be romantically involved. Oh Fourth Season, redeem my hope!

_Quisiera poder escribir en espanol tambien como lo hablo. La verdad, la razon que me meti in FanFiction era para mejorar mi espanol, y he aprendido muchisimo de estar aqui. Gracias, **Kakatsushi**, por compartir tu creatividad e inspirarme a escribir esta escena entre esta pareja hermosa._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Korra, only the plot of this story. **

**Chapter 4: Rivaling Tempers**

"You're stepping on me," grunted Tenzin.

Bumi laughed, in perfect rhythm with the waltz that was playing.

"You're supposed to be Twinkle Toes Junior, you should have seen it coming." _One, two. _With each passing step, the two brothers-who were easily the oddest pair on the dance floor- got closer to the center, where a certain world leader was dancing with a certain crown prince.

_Three, four. _Within a heartbeat, Bumi pulled Korra out of Prince Iroh's arms, and traded places with her.

"How's Toph's little ray of sunshine?" Bumi asked Prince Iroh.

Prince Iroh, who was more than secure of his masculinity and his preference for the opposite sex, did not bat an eyelash as he twirled Bumi in a circle, nor did he question Bumi's motives, and instead just waited for the former Commander to share, little by little, whatever information he could not keep to himself.

"I know something you-"

"Do know that _your _Uncle Sokka told me of his favorite nickname for you, correct?" Prince Iroh interrupted. Eyeing the entirety of the guests around him, he scanned the room for Korra. "Bumi-rang, we can play this all night." In the corner of his eye, a flicker of green-royal green- brushed too closely next to that of a not-crimson. "But I'd like to finish my dance with the-"

At once, the small, petite hands dressed in the Royal Earth Kingdom engagement robe pulled at the other man's casual green dresswear, both disappearing behind a brilliantly red banner with the insignia of the Fire Nation. A minute passed before Bumi watched as Prince Iroh straightened his impossibly straight back even more, end his joke of a waltz with Bumi, and pull a small, mousy Earth Princess away from her escort that was not wearing Fire Nation insignia.

Bumi shrugged at his absence, and extravagantly waltzed himself back to where Korra and Tenzin were quietly-or not so quietly- arguing about.

"Korra, need I remind you _why_ we are here? This is a dangerous mission!" Tenzin lectured. "Or have you failed to notice the Dai Li that are around almost every corner? It's bad enough the Earth Queen refused to greet us, we can't get distracted by a prince in his Royal Blues!"

"Actually, he's wearing red, Tenzin, only active military wears Royal Blues at civil engagements." Bumi thoughtfully chimed in. "Prince Iroh's wearing Fire Nation regalia, which, naturally, would be red. Still called Royal Blues, though."

Neither Korra nor Tenzin acknowledged him.

"Of _course_, I'm aware, Tenzin. Prince Iroh was telling me about the Fire Nation's airbenders! They're the only ones that haven't gone berserk over new bending. And leave Prince Iroh out of this! He is not distracting me!" She exclaimed, surprised at how hot her face felt as she said those words.

Knowing Tenzin was right, Korra felt it was time to regroup with the party she had come with. But as Korra, Bumi, and Tenzin glanced around, Bolin and Asami were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The sounds of the orchestra had long disappeared for Bolin and Asami, who had spent the last few dances ducking and crouching behind walls to avoid any watchful Dai Li agents or Earth Kingdom guards.

"The spirits have a reason for leading us down here, Bolin. This might just be where the airbenders are hidden. In close quarters to the Queen, so she can keep an eye on them and always be aware of their progress.

A small, opaque spirit that resembled a koala-bird hovered before them, guiding them through hallways even dimmer than its skin tone. As they walked past a series of doors, a whistling and rumbling was heard from the left of their trail.

"Asami, if your hunch about the airbenders is right, great, that explains why those spirits are serving food at an Earth Kingdom party, but if you're wrong, why does it matter? What these spirits are doing." Bolin clarified. "If they want to hold plates at formal events, it just makes it easier for humans and spirits to get along, right?"

Asami glanced at Bolin, and realized that, even though his upbringing was much harsher than hers, he had never experienced the full extent of what mindless manipulation could be like.

"They- those spirits- remind me of myself when my father ran Future Industries. Oh, don't look at me like that, of course my father never had me serving guests food on silver platters. But he may as well have." She said sadly. Glancing around for their spirit guide, Asami ran her fingers through the spirit's feathers, reminding herself that it was here, with them, willingly. "Whenever a big client or business partner refused to go through, he always asked me to deliver the final blow in a sales call. _Whatever it takes_, he would say to me. I thought the meetings would stay professional, but there were times when I had to draw lines between his clients' hands and my personal space. I didn't know what I was doing, Bolin, and I thought it was my fault, that I was somehow encouraging those business "men," so I was too ashamed to tell my father. But deep down, I think my father always knew, and that was why he sent me." Asami sighed, realizing that her father was never the man she thought he was. "They always signed the contracts. _Whatever it takes_."

Bolin stayed quiet, shocked and angered at her revelation and what it implied. Asami was beautiful, and he had no doubt that even in her earlier teenage years she was gorgeous. But to be her father's pawn, without knowing it for so many years, made his blood boil with anger.

Eager to let his frustrations at not having been able to help her out at the time, he pushed open a wall with a giant fistful of bending power. He gently guided Asami to the new opening, and held her shoulders, demanding eye contact.

"That will never happen again. I won't let it." Bolin said firmly. His eyes, usually a soft, gentle emerald, looked several shades darker as they pierced into Asami's. "Not to you, and not to spirits."

"And hopefully not to the other airbenders we still have to bust out, Bolin, so can we get out of here?" Kai said, emerging from the deeper side of the hole that was once his solitary confinement, now opened because of Bolin. "I haven't eaten in days."

If Bolin hadn't been so overjoyed to see his "little" brother, his high pitched squeal may not have given them away to the Dai Li. But his extremely loud earthbending was also a dead giveaway, too.

* * *

Korra's best bet was near the food court. She knew that. She had already surveyed the room twice, but the sheer size of the food court rivaled that of Asami's kitchen, so she knew she had to make at least one attempt to locate her friends there. There was no need, she told herself, to look for Prince Iroh.

No reason at all for her to focus all her attention on the peripheral view of a blue sash and red coat with golden epaulets of Fire Nation royalty, or for her eyes to zero in on the Earth Kingdom beauty standing very closely to said uniform. But when another man dressed in Fire Nation regalia rudely pushed Korra aside and walked towards the two people she was observing, she knew she could not look away. She saw the two members of the Fire Nation's Royal Family close their fists, and had no doubt that harsh words were being exchanged. Both men whipped their heads down to the smaller member of their party, the Earth Kingdom's princess, and glanced at each other again, before the shorter of the two walked away briskly.

Prince Iroh's cousin once again pushed past Korra rudely, but before she could reach for his uniform to make him apologize to her, the ground under her feet began to rumble. Bending the earth below to her will, Korra solidifies her stance and reached out for the young man's collar, and secured him to her side.

"Do you _know _who I am?" Both the Avatar and the member of the Royal Family stated in the same instant.

"I'm the Avatar."  
"I'm the Duke of the Fire Nation."

Their voices overlapping, both quickly began to spurt out insults about the insignificance of the other, until their words were no longer audible because of the rumbling under Korra's feet. Suddenly, the pillars supporting the hall were beginning to crumble, and the banners that so proudly represented two of the four nations were falling from their postings.

Men dressed in dark green robes appeared from the throng of guests, and made to hold up the pillars with earthbending. As one, their bodies created supports for the falling frames of the palace; but before they could cement the ground beneath them, a giant crevasse broke through the center of the dance floor and created a giant dust cloud from within.

Korra automatically bent the wind around her into a sphere to prevent herself from being blinded by the dust, or from asphyxiating by it. Feeling a strange pressure on her leg, she realized that the proud Duke of the Fire Nation was clinging to the side of her dress like a child, cringing in fear. Outside her protective bubble, the guests of the reception party made haste for the escape and safety that the two main doors offered. Kicking the spoiled nobleman back into the ensuing dust, Korra tried to earthbend the dust particles down to the ground, but to no avail.

Another sphere of air made itself visible to Korra, and she sped on an air scooter towards her Airbending Master.

"Tenzin! We have to get out of here!" she cried. As Korra neared the circular pit of air, she realized that it was much bigger than any single airbender-even Tenzin- could make. Surrounding him were the other airbenders! who in turn, had circles the tables filled with food, stuffing themselves into a stupor as quickly as possible. _Everyone always goes to the food section,_Korra thought to herself. But as overjoyed as she was, Korra knew that the Dai Li agents would be turning on them quickly to gather their citizens.

As the dust settled, Bolin and Asami approached Korra with smiles on their faces.

"You did it!" Korra exclaimed. "But why destroy the palace just to get out, Bolin?"

Bolin looked shocked, but at the same time, not surprised at being blamed for something he didn't do. Asami raced to defend him, explaining that they were not the reason for the broken pillars or the falling tapestries. Korra's mind raced, and then halted. Even if they weren't the ones responsible for the destruction of the entire reception hall of the Royal Palace, with the airbenders in tow, they would be deemed responsible in front of the public.

_The Queen must have had the Dai Li destroy her own home, then_, Korra reasoned. _Just to have an alibi in case we got away. _

The Avatar steered herself away from her friends and rescuees, and headed toward the safety perimeter that was engulfing the Earth Kingdom's Monarch outside of the palace. Avoiding the wreckage around her, she realized that not only were the pillars broken and appearing to be ruins, they were also burned on some sides. Glancing around quickly, she searched for any Dai Li agents, but after securing the infrastructure of the building, they disappeared.

Appearing out of nowhere, a flaming rock threw itself onto Korra's projectile, and she only just bent enough air to erode the piece of earth into dust particles before it slammed into her. Looking madly for the culprit, Korra found its assailants a few meters away, bending both rock and fire at each other; a certain Earth Princess yelling obscenities at a certain Fire Prince, who was clearly trying to detain her.

Taking a deep breath, Korra executed a flawless sequence of earth and water bending; pinning Prince Iroh to his knees with earthbending, arms extended to the front of his chest, in a mockery of a stock to inable his bending. At the same time, she bent water from afar to freeze the Earth Princess' hands, as well.

Korra swore at both of them.

"What is going on?" She yelled, paranoia for the ever increasing sense of being watched by Dai Li increasing inside her. "What, why, just, WHAT?"

Prince Iroh had never looked angrier than he had been at this current situation. Stoic, silent, and above all shocked, he waited for Korra to release him from his earthen pillory. Korra realized what she had done to one of her greatest allies, and immediately released her hold on him. The earth encasing him turned to dirt, and he fixed his uniform without glancing at Korra. He looked quickly at the Earth Princess before him, and warned Korra not to release her, as he walked away toward the main entry of the remains of the reception hall.

"WAIT!" Korra cried, running to catch up to his pace. "What happened?" They were just nearing the main doors of the palace. "Why did you two go at it in public like that?" Soon, they would be surrounded by panicked citizens, and an angry queen." What did you do? What did she do?"

Prince Iroh turned sharply towards her, causing her to bump into his strong chest, and fall to the ground. Impassiveness sown into his features, he stared at her coldly, before offering his hand.

"She has been unfaithful to my cousin." Prince Iroh said, his jaw twitching with restraint. "I saw her pull a man behind a tapestry-_just now-_, during her _engagement _ceremony to _my _cousin, and practically grope him. She made a mockery of the Royal Family."

Frozen into a stupor, Korra said nothing, and let Prince Iroh continue.

"When I apprehended her, the man- or boy, because what kind of man does that?" He commented, "walked away at the snap of her fingers, but my cousin came up to us, and, well, jumped to conclusions. My arms were gripping her shoulders very tightly, and her lips were extremely swollen. He threw the first flame, but ran away just as fast."

Just as Korra gathered enough words to speak, the airbenders, along with her original team arrived behind her, having waited for the harsh fight to end and the food to disappear into their stomachs. Prince Iroh retreated back into his stoic face, and helped the airbenders exit before him. Standing incredibly close to the Avatar, Prince Iroh fixated his eyes on hers, and spoke from his heart.

"My temper rivals yours, Avatar Korra, when people I love are in danger."

Bright flashes of light surrounded the Avatar and the Fire Prince, but the flashes were artificial. The paparazzi that had photographed the guests' entrance were now documenting the freak accident that had occured inside the Royal Grounds of the Palace, and the emminent ending of the party. Questions were being shot at Korra, but she sent the paparazzi and reporters away with a rush of wind, far enough away to not be overheard, and even then, she erected a small mountain to put a distance between herself and the throng of reporters. In a small corner of Korra's mind, she registered the look of loathing on the Earth Queen's face as she yelled instructions to her agents only a few meters away.

"KORRA!" Asami yelled. Both Korra and Prince Iroh turned and ran towards Asami, ignoring the fact that at any second, they could all be arrested by Dai Li agents. Asami was bent over a body, crying into Bolin's arms. Korra sprinted towards her friends, and only took a breath when she realized that Mako was in fact, breathing and in tact.

Hands aglow, she ran them over Mako's face, groaning as she emphatically experienced the pain he was going through because of the bright red, angry lash on his face following the burn down his neck and upper body. It wasn't until she healed him that she remembered that Mako was supposed to be patrolling the perimeter, with her best friend.

She paused, and looked around slowly.

"Where's Naga?" Korra asked quietly, deathly afraid of the answer.

Asami's green eyes locked onto Korra's blue ones, and she shook her head.

Prince Iroh put his hand on Korra's arm, and peered down to Mako's healed body.

"My cousin took her." He said quietly, positive of his deduction. Prince Iroh was a master firebender, he recognized his own cousin's handiwork just as well as his own. Fire whips were the Duke's signature style, he said aloud.

"HE WHIPPED NAGA?" Korra said. She was standing, quickly starting to hover above the ground, as she heard the Prince's words. Her hair standing on end, Korra's eyes began to glow a shimmering an inhuman shade of white, she began to bend the elements around her, destroying the ground below her.

Korra could only barely hear the cries of her friends, much less her own thoughts. There was so much rage inside of her, so much anger and hurt at the thought of what had happened to Mako and Naga, because of her.

One voice, however, resonated.

"Get everyone out of here! I'll get the Avatar!" A deep baritone voice cried loudly. "NOW, Bolin! Meet us at Lake Laogai!"

Korra saw -through a heightened light spectrum that only the Avatar State could offer-her friends retreating from her, the airbenders she had tried to rescue running away, and only a  
man dressed in uniform standing below her. The four elements she was bending around her stilled in an orbital helix, but slowly picked up their rhythm.

"Korra," Prince Iroh said, repeating her name softly, almost crooning it to her.

The world's most powerful woman began to come back down to the earth, nearer to that soothing, controlled voice. As the band of earth, wind, fire, and air began to dull their sharp rotations around their center of gravity -the Avatar- they quickly dropped to the floor, creating mud.

Avatar Korra fell into Prince Iroh's arms, and her vision-even that in the Avatar State- went black.

* * *

_Author's Note_

_Why did I take so long to upload? Because I didn't know the official name for epaulets. I was going to put 'fringey things' bhut somehow I didn't think it sounded too well. _

_I hope to finish before the 4th season premieres Oct 3, just because I feel I'm shipping a relationship that has no potential, sadly, and I'd rather see it completed before the possibility is completely tarnished by the canon. _

_earth, wind, and fire. Did anyone catch the syntax? hahahaha x) guys, it's SEPTEMBER! Do you remember? When it was like September? God, I wish I lived through the eighties. Or at least see EW&F perform at least once live. This was my nod to their work._


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